Will You Be My Coach Taylor?
by Magali1
Summary: Follow up to "Will You Be My Tami Taylor?" Jason gets asked a similar question by Tim after he faces a bit of a crisis with his son. Jason POV. Appearances by Jason, Tim, Coach Taylor, Lyla, and Erin. Relative fluffiness abounds.


**A/N: **This fic is in connection with the "Will You Be My Tami Taylor?" fic. As you can tell by the title, it follows the same lines, but is from Jason's perspective, and has Tim's fears in this rather than Lyla's. I know less is more, but I kind of wanted to write a follow-up. Sorry if it seems disjointed at the end, I finished it after watching "The Normal Heart" and was still reeling from Taylor Kitsch's performance.

* * *

**Will You Be My Coach Taylor?**

"Okay, so this one is for bedtime, but this one is for when his tummy gets upset and this one…"

"Tim," Lyla interrupted, folding up a blanket and setting it on the dresser. She arched an eyebrow. "Jason gets it."

"I do have kids," Jason said, chuckling. He pulled his lips in, trying not to smile too wide at Tim's obvious discomfort at the notion of leaving his kids for the two full weeks that he and Lyla would be gone. He nodded towards the stuffed animals in each of Tim's hands. If it would make him feel better…he sighed, nodding to the animals again. "Which one is the dog for again?"

"Bedtime," Tim said, hugging the dog to his chest and jumping nervously in place. He bit his lower lip. "Lyla I don't know…you can go to Europe yourself…"

"Timothy Riggins," Lyla snapped. She pointed to him, her eyebrow arched. "This is not just about me. This is about both of us." She began to quickly throw down clothing out of the little baby suitcases on the bed, her voice quickening. "And this is the two of us…going to Europe and…and taking a break from the world because…" She threw down another blanket, her voice trembling. "Because I'm losing my mind if…if I keep having these problems and this…" She jabbed a finger at him. "This was your idea! To get away!"

Jason looked over to Tim, who hung his head slightly, looking apologetic, trying to reach for her. "Garrity," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she mumbled. She pushed his hand away, her voice quiet, glancing over to smile at him. I'm sorry Lyla, he thought, wishing he could help her. "It's…not your body that can't seem to figure out a baby isn't something it's supposed to attack, but…"

"That's why we're going away. Get your mind off things, I'm sorry," Tim said. He reached over for her, rubbing her shoulder. "We'll go to Europe. Get away."

"See the Eiffel tower," she said, smiling slightly. She finished folding another blanket, letting go of him and squeezed his hand, walking over towards the door. Jason looked up when her fingertips brushed over his hand and then up over his shoulder.

After a quiet moment, he looked over at Tim, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with one of the stuffed animals. "They're going to be fine, they're with their little cousins and Erin likes playing with them. It's just two weeks." He smiled again at Tim's arched eyebrow. Yeah, well after two weeks we get to give them back, he thought, chuckling. "You know Riggins, you're a pretty decent dad," he said, knocking his knuckles lightly into Tim's knee. "Well, you already are. A little overprotective. There's like six stuffed animals there."

"Well they get nervous without them," Tim said, setting another stuffed animal aside and chuckling. He stood up when Liam wandered into the room. "Sup' kid?"

"Where's my brother?" the five-year old asked, walking over and crawling up into Jason's lap. He thought the wheelchair was fascinating. The little boy wrinkled his nose. "I want a brother."

"Well you're not getting a brother," Tim mumbled, looking up at the ceiling before he closed his eyes briefly, dropping his chin back down and opening his eyes to look at his son. I know that look, Jason thought, chuckling. It was the 'Lord, give me strength' look that crossed the faces of every single parent in the world at least once.

"I don't want a sister. I hate my sister."

Tim rolled his eyes. "You do not…" he trailed off as Liam hopped off of Jason's knees, wandering out of the room. He rolled his eyes again, falling back onto the bed and taking one of the stuffed animals, smothering it over his face. "He hates me."

"He does not hate you."

"Yes he does, that kid hates me, my son hates me." Tim stood up, walking over to the doorway just as Daisy appeared. He smiled down at her, his eyes crinkling up. "Hello my daughter."

"Hello my father."

They tended to do that bit when they were around each other. Jason thought it was hilarious. He looked around a little at Daisy, who was the spitting image of Tim, but she had Lyla's smile. Sweet and polite, but she had a temper that rivaled the eruptions of Vesuvius. Then there was Liam, Jason thought, picking up the stuffed animal, punching it a little between his fists. He glanced up, watching as Tim swung Daisy around by her arms, setting her back down and told her to go wash her hands for dinner. "How are they doing in school?" he asked, looking up.

"Both got tested."

Was that bad or good, he wasn't sure. Things changed so much with schools from when he was in school and when even Noah and his daughter Lily were in elementary school. Which wasn't that long ago, now that he thought about Lily's case. Noah…eh, he was already in high school. Seemed like ages ago, he sighed, looking back at Tim. "So?"

"So, they got tested, like they're freaks. Lyla says its fine, but they pulled my kids out and they made them take a test." He scowled, grabbing hold of the blankets that Lyla had been folding, bunching them up and throwing them into the corner of the bed and the wall. He placed his hands on his hips. "They said that Daisy's like super smart. Like genius smart."

Whoa! "Well that's great!" he laughed, wheeling himself a little closer. Didn't seem like it, he thought, frowning. He cocked his head. "But that's not good?"

"She's gonna' be put in another class. Lyla says it's better for her because then she's not being held back or something but…" he trailed off, gesturing to the door. "But Liam…"

Oh, Liam. He'd been extra surly and ignorant of Tim since the moment the cab had dropped them off outside of the brownstone. He was five, he shouldn't be so moody. "What did the test say about him?" he asked, wheeling himself out of the room and towards the elevator that brought his chair down the stairs, while Tim slid down the banister on his butt, hopping off once he reached the curved newel post at the end.

"The test said," Tim drawled, helping him out of the elevator chair. He tossed his hair out of his eyes, mumbling and looking away. "Said he's like me."

What did that mean? "He's five, he's not really a grouchy hermit alcoholic yet."

"Six."

Okay, we're being serious. I shouldn't have joked. He wheeled around the corner and out onto the back terrace. It was dark out, but the backyard was lit up with little Chinese lanterns and old Christmas lights that Erin had strung around in criss-cross patterns over the terrace and around the various fences and posts. He glanced back at the house; the kids, Lyla, and Erin were all in the living room, both women talking animatedly about something. I'm sure it's about us, he thought, glancing back at Tim, who had opened up a bottle of beer, turning the cap around in his hand. "What did it say?" he murmured.

Tim sank onto the glider, his head knocking back on the headrest. "Said he's like me, you know? Smart but…distracted or something. They're…" he sighed hard, finally lifting his eyes up. His voice was soft. "They're holding him back. They say he needs to focus and…and I don't know if part of it is this whole baby thing or Lyla being sick or…I don't know. They sent him to a crackpot to…to scan his head or something."

"Psychologists are not crackpots." He sighed again, shrugging. "What's Tyra say?"

"Tyra says that it's…nerves about Lyla manifesting or something. Need for attention, but he doesn't act out unless he's pushed. Overshadowed by a sibling."

"Then he's really not like you," Jason said, smiling. He moved closer. This was really eating up Tim, as it would most parents. Especially with the knowledge that he was about to leave for two weeks to take his wife on a getaway vacation since she was all emotionally messed up right now. They'd all gone through a lot in the past couple of years. He knew that it had taken both of them a long time to decide what their next phase would be. He knew that they had started the ball rolling on adoption, but had run into some roadblocks, what with Tim's black mark on his record, which tended to make the adoption agencies just put a giant slashing 'x' over their file.

And he knew that that ate at Tim a bit, just like it was absolutely devastating to Lyla that after it had been so easy with her to have the twins that she'd been unable to get pregnant and the two times she had been able, she'd lost the baby before she even really had a chance to accept it. This was something that had long been in the works for them, but yeah, Daisy and Liam surely sensed the tension and the angst that Tim and Lyla had been going through. "Maybe this will be good," he suggested. He shrugged again. "Maybe if he gets a bit of a break from it all, he'll be better."

"No it's not all that. He's fine with Lyla. He just hates me," Tim sighed, sipping his beer. He swallowed hard, chuckling. "Lyla and I were wondering what…well if we do the whole pick a kid of a magazine thing which by the way is the most screwed up thing in the world but that's exactly what we're doing and we were talking about if we want a girl or boy and just figured whatever we get we get, like last time, but damnit Six." He sighed hard, smiling slightly. "I want a girl. I'm better with Daisy than I am with my own son." He seemed to cringe. "Fathers are supposed to be good with their sons but I wouldn't know, now would I?"

Tim, Jason thought, sighing. He shrugged again, whispering. "I didn't know what to do with Noah. Whether he was a girl or a boy."

"Yeah but you had a dad you know? Even Billy managed to figure it out and I just screw up." Tim hit his head back again, closing his eyes. He shook his head again, mumbling. "Can't believe Lyla came back to me."

Maybe I'm stupid. Or a masochist, but Jason smiled, joking a little. Trying to keep it light. He didn't need Tim having a freak-out session a few hours before he was supposed to get on a flight to London. "Yeah I know I can't believe it either." He waited a moment, receiving a dirty look from his best friend. He chuckled. "Tim, come on, this is ridiculous. You've been doing this five years, what gives?"

"Nothing gives Six! My kid hates me!"

"My kid hates me on a daily basis!" Jason laughed. He understood the freak-out. It was Tim. Change sent him through the roof. It took him longer than most people to accept life changes. It was just how he was, how he'd always been, and probably how he'd always be. You just had to respect it. As much as he'd adapted to new life events, like being a father or marrying his high-school sweetheart, or up and moving to Austin for most of the year because Lyla wasn't going to teach at Dillon Elementary, choosing instead to work at her specialized school for autistic children, Tim still had these issues deep down that he was probably always going to have. He shook his head slightly, before lifting his gaze up to meet Tim's. "Tim," he whispered. He leaned back in the wheelchair, folding his hands in his lap. Or else he might smack him. "Tim, it wasn't easy raising Noah. He was opinionated because that's what Erin and I tried to instill in him. It came back to bite us in the ass when he got to high school. Whenever he leaves the house, I panic. I have a panic attack at the idea of him leaving the house, but I know he'll be okay because I also taught him how to deal with problems. When I have to get on him for a bad grade or being late to practice or something, he hates me. He says it. I hate you Dad. It hurts. But then he says he loves me or he gives me a hug or he does something to show that he just said it because he got angry."

"My kid is five, yours is sixteen," Tim whispered.

Yeah, true. He shrugged. "Noah once threw a temper tantrum in the middle of Duane Reede because I wouldn't buy him gummy worms. Screamed right there that he hated me and I was a bad daddy because I wasn't going to buy him gummy worms after he'd been acting like a brat for most of the day. It was embarrassing and I wanted to hurl him across the Hudson River, but you swallow the embarrassment and you do what you need to do. I grabbed him by the arm, put him on my knees, and wheeled myself clear out of the store."

"You know how to do that stuff though," Tim continued to protest. Jason seriously didn't know what he was supposed to tell him. He shook his head again. "Liam gets mad, but then he goes to Lyla. Or he yells at me or something. I try with him Jason, I try, but…I can't do it. I'm better with the girls, with Daisy and with…with whatever we're going to name the new kid."

That sounded like the Tim he knew and loved. I can't do it. Therefore, I won't do it. Did it all through school, throughout the entire time they knew each other. Now he was going to do it with his kids. Sounded about right. He shook his head, looking out over the back patch of grass that they had. He loved New York. Tim loved Texas. Tim's kids loved Texas too. "Liam…" he trailed off, finally turning back to his best friend. He took another deep breath, slowly releasing it. "Tim, this isn't high school. This practice or even looking for a job or even getting Lyla back on your good graces. This is not you screwing up and walking away like there's no other option for you." He jabbed his knuckle at Tim's knee, his voice hard. "This is fatherhood. You do it. I know you had a shitty dad. We all have problems growing up, no matter how perfect our lives seem. You can't use that as an excuse. Not for this."

The tortured look he got in return…he wished he could make it go away. It killed him to see Tim in pain. He was so happy with his life. Happy to do his job in Austin while Lyla had her life teaching and then return to his land and his house. Happy to have her back in his life the last seven years. "I'm trying!" he protested.

"Try harder," he ordered. Hell, he never really had to have this responsibility for Tim. He glanced at their families in the living room. "Tim," he said, looking back at his best friend. He sighed. "This isn't personal. It's just how it is sometimes. Liam will be fine. You're doing the right things with him. I'll talk with him, if that makes you feel better."

"I just want him to be okay." He waited a moment, his voice falling to almost nothing. "I don't want him to be like me. And he is right now."

I know you don't, he thought, smiling sadly. He reached for Tim's beer, holding it in his fists and chugged it back, setting it back down on the table beside the glider. He set it aside, nodding to the house. "He won't be you. Trust me."

"Why?"

"Why?" he echoed. He laughed. "Because I'm your best friend Riggins. Because you are so in love with your son that you're sitting out here freaking out about how he might not love you as much or because he isn't listening to you. Because you were upstairs telling me which stuffed animals he likes when, because you know that sort of thing, because…" he trailed off, laughing again. This was so stupid. "Because you cared that he came out of that test and was held back and you want to do everything possible to make it better. Because you're going to go adopt a kid from nothing and give them everything and you want your other kids to be happy about it. Tim, don't you get it?" He leaned forward, looking up and whispering, his eyes wide. "Do you ever think in your right mind that any time in your life your dad thought the same way?"

There. There it was. The understanding. It was fleeting, but…at least it was there, for a brief moment, before Tim was shaking his head a little. He stood up, going back into the house, were Daisy came up to him, tears running down her little face. Oh no, what happened, Jason wondered, wheeling himself back inside, just to get the end of Daisy's crying. "You're never coming back!" she sobbed.

"Noah!" he shouted, seeing his son lurking out of the room, looking sheepish. He glared at them. "What did you tell her?"

"I didn't tell her anything."

"What. Did. You. Tell. Her," Erin said this time, punctuating each word with a pause and grit of her teeth, as Tim attempted to calm down Daisy, who was wailing that she didn't want them to go to 'Ropa.' Which he figured was her way of saying "Europe."

Lyla entered the room, sighing at the sight of Daisy crying, which was getting Liam agitated Lily was just staring at them all like they'd lost their minds, but she was eleven, so that was usually just a given that she was always looking at people like that. "What's going on in here?"

"Noah told Daisy something that's got her upset," Erin said, grabbing their son by his elbow and jerking him into the other room. God help that kid, Jason thought briefly. Erin's Irish temper could really get the best of her. She emerged a moment later. "He told her that the pirates are going to take you guys and never bring you back."

"Really?" Liam whispered. He ducked his head, looking down at his feet. "Don't go."

"Liam, we'll be fine, we'll bring you back presents, in fact, we're going to go to Spain and when we're there, I'll get you one of those little hats and outfits that they wear when they let the bulls chase them, won't that be fun? And we're going to go to Italy and I'll get you a soccer jersey and we'll be in France and all kinds of fun places."

After a few minutes, she had him settled down, same with Daisy, after promising she'd bring her back a tea set and a little French outfit and all kinds of fun things just the same as her brother.

Jason walked them both to the door, after they said goodbye to the kids, promising to bring them things and telling them how much they loved them. He watched Lyla get the bags into the cab, giving Erin last minute instructions. While he had Tim away from her for a moment, he smiled up at him. "Hey. It'll be fine. You just focus on your girl there."

"Don't let her hear you say that," he said with a small smile. They knocked their knuckles, as their way of saying goodbye. Tim stepped down a couple of the steps, before he turned around quickly, frowning deeply. "Watch out for Liam. Please."

You don't even have to ask. He waved at the cab, his hand going up to Erin's, squeezing it. He tilted his head back up to her, smiling quickly. "We have two Riggins kids for two weeks. You better have your A-game."

"I always have my A-game babe," she said, kissing him quickly before going into the house, barking to Noah that he wasn't out of the woods yet and would have to clean up the kitchen after dinner. Lily had to help too because she hadn't taken out the trash like she was supposed to that morning.

He wheeled himself into the living room, picking up Liam, who smiled up at him, linking his arm around his neck as Jason wheeled them out. "Where we going?" the little boy asked.

"I want to show you something."

"Show me what?"

He set Liam down on the floor in his office, reaching for a picture that he kept on his desk. "This," he said, turning it towards Liam. "Do you know who these people are?"

Liam pointed immediately to him, sitting in the wheelchair. "That's you."

"Do you know who this is?" he asked, tapping the image of Tim beside him. He tapped Lyla, on the other side. "Or this person?"

"That's Mommy. She's pretty."

"She's very pretty," he agreed. He tapped Tim's image again, waiting a moment before he smiled softly. "That's Daddy. Does that look like him? Huh?"

Liam shrugged. "No."

Yeah, no. Tim had changed the most out of all three of them; he didn't blame the kid for not recognizing him. He didn't want to get into it, because he still had two weeks to sit with Liam and just let him decompress. He always got the sense that Liam, while he looked like Lyla more than he did his father, had more of Tim's personality. Which meant he internalized more than anything else. Who knew what the test said about his learning style, but he was just as smart as anyone else, he just…he probably just didn't apply himself very well and hell, he was five. Who cared, honestly, Jason thought, smiling sideways, his voice quiet. "That's your dad, we were in school together and this was…well this was a very long time ago." It was before he left for New York.

The little boy just stared at the picture for a few minutes before he looked straight at him again. "Daddy," he repeated. He glanced at the picture, smiling slightly. "No! That's not Daddy!"

"It is too," he laughed. See, I can work with this kid. "See, that's him!"

"He has girl hair."

"Well yeah, his hair isn't that long, that's for sure."

"He's not Daddy." Liam handed the picture back to him, looking back and smiling a little. "Can I have ice cream please?"

Yeah, you can have ice cream, he thought, nodding. He waited a few more minutes before he turned around, just as Erin walked into the room, holding the phone aloft. "Wanted to let you know that Coach Taylor called. They're going to be in the city next weekend because Mrs. Taylor has a conference. I told them we'd all have dinner and now I'm starting to rethink that because I just realized along with our two monsters, we have two little kids who Lyla said are very pick about their food." Erin tapped the phone to her lips, cringing. "Now I don't know what to do."

Well it wouldn't be so bad. "Well Tami can help with the kids and we'll just go to Mama Rosetti's down the street. Lyla said the kids eat spaghetti like it's going out of style."

"Good Lord I can't believe I didn't think about that. I'll go ahead and call them to make sure they have a table large enough available."

Well this actually sounded pretty good. Coach would be in town at the exact moment that he figured he should be. I can't fix Tim's fatherhood issues anymore than I can try to show Liam that his dad wasn't someone to…well he wasn't sure if he feared him or was just reacting to the angst around him or what. We'll see, he thought, swiveling around and wheeling himself out of the room and into the kitchen.

* * *

"So Tim and Lyla are where now?"

Jason consulted the printed itinerary that Lyla gave him before they left. She said they'd stick to it pretty firmly, but Tim had been slashing his hand in the air and told him to just ignore it. They'd go on their own pace. "Well unless Tim has completely upended things, they should be on the Amalfi coast by now."

"Sounds like a whirlwind for a supposed relaxing vacation," Coach commented, pouring them both two glass of scotch at two fingers each. He lifted his up, leaning back in the chair out on the terrace. "So they're in Europe." He chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "Cannot see Tim Riggins in Europe."

Well then you'll enjoy this. In an effort to keep to their relaxing honeymoon-type vacation, but still make sure the kids didn't miss them, they'd alternated between calls, Skype-sessions, and photos. He removed his phone, turning it around to Coach. "Here's something to tide you over until you can rag him on it."

"Is he drinking out of a flowered teacup?"

"While wearing a bear-fur hat from Buckingham palace."

"It's really no wonder why the rest of the world hates us," Coach mumbled, passing the phone back to him, chuckling. He shook his head again, but was smiling. "Nice to see he's actually smiling. That's a rarity."

"Eh, he smiles a hell of a lot more nowadays than he ever did before." Jason cleared his throat. Now that they were alone, with all the women and the kids inside, the twins showing off their writing skills to Tami, who he imagined was conducting her own 'testing' of them. He cleared his throat. "So Tim thinks that his son hates him and he won't believe me when I tell him that he just has to let things…happen. Kids are all different."

Coach sipped his scotch. He swallowed and set the glass back on the table. "Kid seems fine. He's a Riggins."

"Yeah but what does that mean?" It meant something different to everyone. Tyra had a different interpretation of what being a Riggins meant compared to him. He'd even heard Buddy mumble once that Lyla was now more Riggins than she was Garrity, whatever that was supposed to mean.

"Well," Eric said, shrugging and picking up his glass again. He smiled a little, glancing back at the house, his voice quiet. "You know Tim. Liam's the spitting image. No wonder he probably doesn't know how to handle him. He's quiet, he…he laughs and has fun, a lot of fun, but he's easily distracted. He seems to really care about people. He got so upset earlier when Tami said that Gracie wasn't here because she'd broken her leg and was at home recovering. I don't know Jason, you know Tim and you know Liam better than me."

"Tim said that he got tested. He's being held back."

Eric instantly frowned. "Kid's smarter than a whip."

"Yeah, well apparently it isn't showing in school."

"And Tim is upset about this? He doesn't care about grades. What's Lyla think?"

Jason shrugged. "I don't know what she thinks, but she doesn't seem concerned and she's the teacher. I think it's just Tim worrying about…well it's easier for him with Daisy. She's a girl. He knows his role, you know?"

The door opened, Liam wandering out, holding onto his ratty blanket. "Hi Uncle Coach," he said, walking over and crawled up into the chair beside Eric. He leaned back, his arms around the blanket. "I'm bored."

"Never a good thing," Coach said. "Why aren't you in with your sister and aunts?"

"They're watching Lion King. It's boring."

"That's my favorite movie," Jason said, holding his arms out. Liam smiled. "Why don't you like it?"

Liam shrugged. "I don't know."

Coach glanced at Jason and then back to Liam again. "So Liam, are you going to play football?"

"I don't know."

"You know your dad was a great football player. I was his coach, did you know that?"

"Yeah." Liam didn't seem interested, looking up at the sky. He pointed, frowning. "No stars."

"It's New York, you can't ever see the stars, it's too bright," Jason said. Liam must know what stars looked like more than most kids, being that he spent most of his life in rural Texas. Where there was nothing but stars. He tapped his knuckles on the table, drawing Liam's attention back to them. The look he received was identical to Tim; it was kind of scary. "I got to play football with your dad, before I hurt myself."

Liam frowned. "Oh?" He glanced at Coach, shifting in the chair. "Daddy was good?"

"Very good, one of the best," Coach stressed. That might be an exaggeration, Jason thought, chuckling. Eric shot him a look to stay quiet. He leaned over the arm of his chair to Liam, his voice quiet, just between them. "He didn't like school either. You know that your dad really loves you, right?"

The little boy slumped in his chair. He was five, he didn't know how to put those emotions into words, Jason thought, frowning a little and watching Coach, talk quietly to Liam, telling him a story about how Tim saved the state game with a touchdown. Make sure to tell him that they lost that one. Liam perked up when Coach started telling him about how Lyla would come to the games to cheer on Tim. "Mommy was there?" he asked.

"Yup, Grandpa Buddy was at every single game. Lyla would come to cheer on your dad."

"Cool," Liam giggled. He turned in the chair, hugging the arm of it, his chin resting on his forearm and smiling. "Daddy didn't like school?"

"He hated it," Jason said, piping in. He wheeled closer, ducking his head so it was just a talk between them. "He was really smart, just like you, but he didn't like to sit in class, he'd rather be playing football. But you know what? He did it. Because sometimes you have to do things that you don't like to do." He smiled quickly, his voice quiet. "You know that your dad didn't have a dad, right?"

That seemed to confuse Liam. "Everyone has a dad," he said, blinking. He looked straight at Coach, his voice quiet. "Missy West has two daddies."

"Well Missy West is very lucky to have two daddies that love her, but you know what? Your dad didn't really have one dad to love him. He loves you." Jason hoped that he was getting through. He smiled softly. "He loves you Liam. Sometimes he just doesn't know how to show it. Like how Mommy hugs and kisses you all the time? Daddy still loves you." He smiled again. "And he loves you even if you don't like school. He didn't like it either."

That seemed to make Liam smile again. "I like math," he said quietly.

Coach poked at his arm, which made Liam giggle. "That was your dad's favorite subject too."

Tim's favorite subject was drinking and sleeping around, Jason thought, but he smiled in spite of himself, because at least it got through to Liam, making him smile and turn back to Coach for more stories on Tim in high school, to which Eric said he had plenty. Jason didn't think that he had that many, but at least there'd be enough to keep Liam occupied.

I think we saved the day, he thought, clinking his glass with Eric a few minutes later, as Liam was chattering about how once Daisy got her hand stuck inside of a jar and it took Daddy and Mommy like a week or something to get it off and they ended up using a lot of soap and some pliers, but then her hand was like a claw, so that made Liam pretty sure that Daisy was evil and not to be trusted.

Quite an imagination this kid has, he thought, smiling at Coach. "Thanks," he said. He sighed. "I think Tim's going to have his hands full."

"I think he'll be fine," Eric said firmly. He sipped the rest of his scotch, setting the empty glass down on the table. "Okay. I'm done. Tami and I better get going, we have an early train in the morning back to Philly."

Jason wheeled back into the house with him, shaking his hand quickly. "Thanks again."

"Well it doesn't solve everything, but…" Eric shrugged, tugging down his jacket and leaning in to zip it up. He looked up, smiling again. "Riggins will be fine. Trust me on this. He's got you."

Yeah, I suppose so, he thought, smiling a little and waving as Tami and Eric got into a cab. He sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Liam, who was laughing with Daisy, until it got nasty, with Daisy saying he was stupid and Liam pushing her onto the floor. A parent's work is never done, he thought, sighing and wheeling back into the house to break up the fight.

* * *

"So they were okay?" Tim asked, folding up kid clothes into a suitcase. He smiled. "I didn't see any broken bones or bruises."

"No broken bones or bruises," Jason confirmed. He smiled up at his best friend. It seemed like the second that Tim and Lyla got into the house he'd seen the difference. He picked up the bear-fur hat, setting it on his head and looked up at Tim, who just scowled at him. "So what'd you guys do over there? Seems like you had a great time."

Tim set a new stuffed animal for Daisy into her carry-on bag. "Saw a bunch of stuff. Slept through two museum tours and…" he trailed off, shrugging. "Got laid a bunch of times."

"Gross, I don't need to know that."

"Lyla's happy, that's all I care about. How was Liam?"

Nice change of subject, thank God. "He's good," Jason said truthfully. In the week since Coach visited them, Liam seemed to come out of his shell. He spoke a little more, he constantly asked questions and wanted stories about Tim, and he even tried to read a little, but he wouldn't do it out loud like his sister. I think things are going to be fine with him, he thought, lifting his eyes up to Tim, who seemed eager, wanting to know everything. "Coach came by last weekend. He helped a lot…I don't think I knew how to deal with him until I saw Coach do it. In any case, I think he's going to be fine."

"Good," Tim sighed, relieved. He picked up Liam's blanket, wrapping it around his hands and lifted his eyes up. "He actually hugged me today. Sounds stupid, but…didn't happen a lot before."

"It'll still take time for him to open up but I just think he wants someone to talk to." Even for five, he still needed an outlet for…frustrations, he thought. He looked up, his voice quiet. "I think he just needs to know that it's all okay, that…that sometimes things can be about him. It's not just all about his smart, bubbly, and happy sister."

"Yeah." Tim sat down on the edge of the bed, leaning forward. He wrapped the blanket back around his wrists, sighing hard. "Hey Jason."

Oh man, my first name, this must be big. "Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." This was pretty serious. He cocked his head slightly. "What's up?"

Tim cleared his throat, glancing away. He reached up, shaking his hand through his hair, his voice soft. "Lyla told me that she talk to Tyra a long time ago and she…she asked her in so many…so many words if she'd be…" He rolled his eyes, like it was no big deal, when clearly it was. "She'd be the kids' version of Mrs. Taylor so I just thought…" he sighed hard, swallowing nervously and looking up, whispering. "You're my best friend and…and sometimes I'm going to screw up. Hey, let's face it, I'm always going to screw up."

I don't think always. Jason smiled slightly. "Yeah, I get it."

"So basically when…when my kid is wandering around and doesn't know what's going on and…and I don't know, needs someone to kick his ass a bit because I'm not there or I'm not getting or I'm screwing up…" Tim lifted his eyes again, swallowing hard. This was very nervewracking for him, but it's okay, Jason thought, lightly touching his knuckles to Tim's hand. Tim reached around for it, squeezing hard. "So basically will you be like…" he rolled his eyes. "Like his Coach or something?"

I will be his Coach Taylor, Jason thought instantly. He nodded, still grinning. "Yeah."

"Because my dad…" Tim closed his eyes, whispering. "My dad's dead, not that he was never really in our lives. He loved us in a twisted way. I don't have much…just like Buddy and that's just on a day where he likes me. Then there was Coach so I figure…my kid might need someone like that."

Not as much as you did, that's for sure. Even so, I'll still be there. "I'll always be here, I'm your best friend." Jason smiled again, his voice soft. "You don't always get him Tim because he's like you. He's just…he's like you. In a good way. Only good ways."

"Well shit," Tim laughed, smiling wide. "If he's just like me he's going to give me a heart attack one day."

"And you'll be the one kicking his ass into gear. I don't think you're going to need a Coach Taylor as much as you think you do." And I don't know if I can ever live up to what Eric did for you and for me and well, for all of us, he thought, smiling happily. He nodded to the door. "Come on. Let's go have a drink before you have to get on a plane to Texas with two five-year olds who are excited to see their parents again."

"I need to tell you one last thing."

Jason sighed dramatically. It was so tense in that room that he had to diffuse it somehow. "I know, you owe me for watching your kids for two weeks, but let's face it, Erin did most of the heavy lifting. I just took them on rides down the street in my chair."

"One of the agencies called us."

Jason turned around, staring straight at his friend. He lifted his eyebrows. "And what did they say? It better be good news, he thought, his heart pounding in his chest.

Tim smiled softly. "Thank God for stupid teenagers. There's a girl in San Antonio. She's sixteen and she picked our application." He smiled wider. "Said that she liked that we'd been together as long as we have, didn't care that I did my time in jail and she liked that Lyla was a teacher and that I was…whatever I am."

"A fixer." That's what they'd settled on calling Tim. Erin had wondered about it a few years ago, when Tim had been in town on 'business.' He got things for people. Was probably in the CIA for all they knew. He seemed to have made a pretty successful business for himself on bartering things.

They both looked up when the door pushed open, Liam wandering inside, wearing his new Buckingham Palace guard uniform and holding open a box of French chocolate, which was smeared on his face. "Daddy did you go to Mexico and not go to football? Uncle Coach said so. He said that was bad."

"Did Uncle Coach also tell you that Daddy came back and he more than paid for it?"

"No."

"Well that's the truth, come here, stop eating the chocolate. Did you have fun with Uncle Jason?"

"Yup."

"Go wash your face, we're going home in a couple of hours." Tim kissed the top of Liam's head, ruffling his dark hair, sending the little boy into giggles. He dropped him to the floor. "Come on kid. You want stories, I'll tell you some good ones. First one will be Uncle Billy stapling his hand into the wall!"

"Gross!"

"It was awesome."

Jason rolled his eyes, leaving both of them to giggles and fun. See, he thought like saying, it would all work itself out. He did like that he would be Tim's version of Coach Taylor for his kids. That was a bit of an honor. Hope I can do it justice, he thought, turning the corner and bumping into Lyla. "Hey! Tim told me the good news."

"Yeah, it's great," Lyla said, beaming. She gestured to the guest room. "He's with Liam?"

"Yeah. I think they're going to be okay."

"Fathers and sons," Lyla said softly, pulling at her wedding ring. She licked her lips, smiling again. "He just gets so nervous around him. Sends Liam into a spin and then…then we're all kind of reeling when he gets bent out of shape. His test at school is meaningless to me. He'll bounce back."

"Well he's a Riggins, of course he'll bounce back."

"They do tend to be resilient." She paused, tossing her hair out of her eyes, smiling wide. "You know I love you."

He rolled his eyes, grinning up at her. "You just want me to watch your kids the next time you want a honeymoon with Tim."

"He's doing the best he can, just like I'm doing the best I can, but I'm sure we'll need you when Liam is running away because he's just…overwhelmed or scared or whatever happens," Lyla said, running her tongue over her teeth. She smirked. "At least I have Tyra for when they really want to do something insane."

Well I think she's your first defense, he thought with a smile. "I love you too Lyla."

She leaned down, kissing him lightly, just as Tim came out of the room with Mini-Tim. "Stealing my girl Six?" he asked, dropping Liam onto his knees. "Here, take him for a ride."

Off we go, Jason thought, riding down the elevator chair with Liam, while Tim and Lyla finished getting all the stuff together, dragging it out onto the front stoop as a cap driver came to get everything, Erin wiping at her eyes, upset at saying goodbye, while Noah and Lily hugged the little ones, who were getting upset at leaving but Jason knew they wanted to go home. Daisy said she missed her horse, which was actually a neighbor's horse, and Liam was repeatedly asking Tim if he could go to Grandpa Buddy's and look at old football trophies.

"Say Texas Forever guys," Tim said, holding Liam's hand as he hopped down the stairs, Daisy following with Lyla.

"Bye!" Daisy waved. "Texas Forever!"

Jason chuckled, waving at them as they climbed into the cab, both of the kids chattering away. He watched as the cab drove off, sighing hard. He'd miss them. He glanced up at Erin, who was watching him. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I just keep forgetting until I see you guys together that there's this whole other side to you." She leaned down, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, her voice soft. "You're a good dad, good husband, and a good best friend. I love you. Those kids are going to be lucky to have you when they can't stand their parents."

He smiled, looking up at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Well that was something, Jason thought, glancing away down the street where the cab had long since disappeared. He smiled; guess this was one of those things he was just meant to do. "Well," he sighed, turning around and going back into the house, Erin at his side. "Between Tyra Collette in Texas and me here, I think we've got them pretty well covered. It'll be fine."

He wheeled himself into his office, feeling drained from the past two weeks. Watching five-year old twins could do that to you, he thought, frowning slightly at his desk. There was an envelope. Huh. He picked it up, seeing his name in Lyla's neat handwriting. "What did you do," he mumbled, slowly pulling apart the seal, reaching in carefully and dumping out the contents onto the desk blotter.

A folded piece of paper fell out and he frowned, turning one over as carefully as he could with his working right hand. He smiled at the block letters. "Thank you!" Then there was a picture attached to the paper, of both the twins sitting on the steps of the house, smiling wide and looking like it was their first day of school. Lyla had written under the photo "Try to ignore the fact that they look like their father. Thanks again. We owe you big."

Jason chuckled, setting the picture between the two photos he kept on his desk. One was of the whole family at Erin's graduation from nursing school a few years back, and the other was the one of him, Tim, and Lyla in high school. He smiled at it and glanced over his shoulder when he heard the door open. Noah leaned in, holding a football. "Want to go toss it around?" he asked.

"You going to work on your throw?"

"Coach says I have to stop throwing it from my ear."

"You do," Jason chided, turning around and smiling up at his son, taking the football and setting it on his knees, pushing himself out. "Come on, let's see if we can break those bad habits."

"I kind of miss the little kids. They were hilarious."

Yeah, they were, but it'd be nice to get things back to normal. Well, Jason thought, wheeling down the ramp in front of the house. As normal as things could get in his life.

* * *

**THE END**


End file.
